Cemal Subasi

Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp, 14-year-old Ali Messalam learned to hate "the Jews" from an early age. After fleeing Lebanon with his family, he arrives in Berlin Kreuzberg. Here, Ali tries to make friends with the Arab youths in the neighborhood. But first he has to prove what he can do. As a test of courage, he is asked to break into the apartment of his Jewish-Russian neighbor Alexander. The youngsters follow Ali and trash the old man's apartment to excess. But only Ali is recognized by Alexander, who returns early, and is reported to the police. In order to avoid a conviction and the associated deportation, he has only one chance: Ali must approach his hated enemy and ask for his support...

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An eleven-year-old Turkish boy, two young men from a small town, and a cuckolded policeman from the sticks all find their way to Berlin on May Day, where, in the district of Kreuzberg, emotions come to the boil every year.

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